Sen. Nancy Binay today called on Malacanang to step in to end the apparent stand-off between two of its agencies in charge of food security.

Binay urged Malacanang to mediate between the National Food Authority (NFA) and the NFA Council of which misunderstanding and disagreements among the two agencies under the Executive Department have impacted on the supply of NFA rice for more than a year now.

"I hope the Palace can do something about the fit of misunderstandings between the Council and NFA. Mahigit isang taon na pong nagtuturuan, nagsisisihan at nagbabangayan ang NFA at NFA Council, at ang nakalulungkot, the row between the two offices has already reached a deadlock placing the entire country in an episodic and often cyclical food insecurity status," Binay said.

The NFA is mandated to maintain a rice buffer stock for 15 days at any given time and 30 days during lean months, based on the country's daily consumption rice requirement of 32,150 metric tons.

"One year na po itong isyu ng kakapusan ng NFA rice at shortage ng NFA rice buffer stock, but still, we seem to not have learned anything from the problem we have had. The public don't understand why we are always heading back to the same problem?" asked Binay.

Binay added that the immediate concern is the availability of affordable government-subsidized rice and find solutions to the shortage by addressing the 30-day NFA rice buffer stock.